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Shepherdstown, West Virginia: Monument to James Rumsey, Father of Steam

James Rumsey invented the steam boat, and all he got was a towering monument in an obscure park.

Address:
Rumsey Monument Rd, Shepherdstown, WV
Directions:
From Hwy 480/Duke St. in town, turn east onto High St. Drive four blocks. Turn left onto Mill St. Drive two blocks. Turn right onto Rumsey Monument Rd.
Admission:
Free
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Steam Dad Monument.

Monument to James Rumsey, Father of Steam

In a quiet park along the Potomac River there is a monument to James Rumsey, American steam engine pioneer. In 1787, Rumsey successfully demonstrated his steam-powered boat in Shepherdstown -- 20 years before Robert Fulton did his steam engine demonstration on the Hudson.

Pretty steamed that Fulton, not Rumsey, was getting all the credit, Shepherdstown's Rumseian Society erected a towering monument in Rumsey's honor in the early 1900s.

The park offers a nice view of the Potomac River, the bridge crossing into the Maryland (also known as the Rumsey Bridge), the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the monument.

[Lakita, 08/07/2014]

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In the region:
JFK Ich Bin Ein Berliner Mural, Washington, DC - 53 mi.

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